David Cook is a rock-oriented vocalist with a bent toward a commercial post-grunge sound. Before auditioning for the 2008 season of Fox's American Idol vocal competition, Cook released an independently produced solo album, Analog Heart. Initially, he came to the Idol auditions to support his younger brother Andrew, who did not make the cut. However, after getting encouragement from his sibling, Cook auditioned and received his own golden ticket to Hollywood. The 2008 finale of American Idol pitted a guitar-slinging Cook against 17-year-old wunderkind David Archuleta, where Cook ultimately received 56-percent of the vote to win. His full-length, major-label debut was expected to drop in late 2008. ~ Matt Collar